Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a cult platformer, with some memorable levels and some very fun ones, which is very enjoyable on handheld and allows you to play again in co-op on the TV. It has all the content released to date, including the 3DS extras and all the cutscenes in HD, and if this is your genre or you're a DK fan, you can't miss this classic that, if you want, can test you like no other on Switch.

It's still a pleasant platformer with interesting gameplay mechanics, varied and detailed unique locations to explore, a broad list of enemy types to face and overcome, and lots of secrets to find hidden in nooks and crannies. But at the same time, this HD remaster is inferior to Luigi's Mansion 3 in pretty much every conceivable metric, and there's not a strong enough sense of nostalgia here to save it.

Another Crab's Treasure emerges from its shell as a refreshing and whimsical addition to the often intense and cryptic realm of Souls-like games. Its accessibility options make it a great point of entry for newcomers and genre veterans will appreciate differences such as its open world design, greater focus on platforming, and its many equippable shells.

Wild Bastards is well-balanced, feels really well-crafted and it's a very successful roguelike, with great characters, a lot of exciting mechanics layered on top of each other and more tactical depth than you might expect.

Synapse has very nice game mechanics that are the basis for everything, but since everything only breathes "glorified tech demo", it is difficult for me to really spew out any real praise.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is cosy and full of creative joy for anyone willing to take the time to build a Mii community with personality. I would argue that it requires a fair bit of imagination on your part as a player to get the full value out of the experience. By that, I don't just mean a desire to create visually, but also an overarching concept of who your characters are and what their relationships with the other residents should look like. Essentially, build your own story and see what happens. For me, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is primarily a great tool for creative thinking, whilst it's then up to us as players to decide what we want to create.

Pacific Drive could one day be something special, one of those wonderful indie darlings that really puts the studio on the map. Keep an eye out for it, because this idea is just so damn cool.

It’s crammed to the brim - overflowing even - with content, works quite well with a gamepad, has serviceable and often impressive graphics, and full crossplay between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S so you can team with your friends regardless of where they play. But, it’s not without its limits and issues, and it’s for these reasons that New World: Aeternum could do with a bit more refinement and adjustments to ensure it nails the task at hand of being an exhaustive and unimpaired console MMORPG effort.

There is so much charisma exuding from this game it's almost hard to dislike it and the pacing and gunplay is strong enough to keep you entertained when you aren't dazzled by the incredible art and animation.

Hell is Us is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious games of the year, and it is recommendable for that reason alone. It only gets better as Rogue Factor actually achieves many of their central goals here, creating a striking setting, a well-functioning combat system against enemies with deep mythology behind them, and a fantastic visual profile as well.

Even with some of the aforementioned rough edges, the overall package is almost outstanding, for a team as small as Tiny Bull. You can tell they've given it their all in The Lonesome Guild, and it almost feels like so much lore, so much history, and effort put into each set, even if you only pass through that area a couple of times, is "wasted", when in other titles it would have been replicated. So the sum of its already remarkable parts make this adventure one of the hidden gems of 2025. For me, a candidate for indie of the year.

As a whole, it's just a little too stripped down and without directly surprising or offering anything that feels directly exciting. The game comes with a low price tag and true hardcore fans of the genre can certainly get themselves a few hours of perfectly fine entertainment.

This is a great party game that is easy to recommend. It is fun both online and offline, the presentation is fantastic and the concept is created in such a way that it is almost always exciting.

It's very possible that this is the best sports game of the year. If you can ignore the microtransactions being shoved in your face.

Yooka-Replaylee is an oasis of play and joy in the crowd of grey action role-playing games and Dark Souls clones that we get in abundance and even though there are still some issues with the camera and the game doesn't revolutionise the genre, this is one of the best games you can get in 2025 if you miss the old classic 3D platformers from a bygone era.

Cloverpit is a game you shouldn't play, but you can't stop playing. And that, my friends, is probably the most accurate review you can give a game that is about never really being able to stop.

The game delivers a unique and visually stunning experience that immerses you fully in the world of an ant. While there are areas for improvement, such as the repetitive soundtrack and limited unit options in multiplayer, the game's impressive visuals, realistic sound effects, and varied story missions make it a memorable entry in the RTS genre.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties finally does justice to the third instalment of the franchise, with graphics to match, a revamped and expanded combat system (setting a new standard for future Kiwami remakes), and new content, proof that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is more than happy to revisit its work and improve it, and we, for now, are delighted with the result.

Crimson Desert can be a place where you can lose yourself for months as a player, but don't expect all those hours to be spent on an enriching adventure in a world that, I repeat, is wonderful. I can overlook certain technical issues given the scale of the project and because they may be fixed with a patch, but there are simply too many design conflicts across all the systems operating simultaneously for me to call it a 'masterpiece'. If you can simply live with that and enjoy the journey, even without necessarily understanding where it leads, then this open world is worth a try.

Little Kitty, Big City is a charming indie that animal lovers should not overlook. Despite occasional technical hiccups on the Switch, the game's playful objectives and whimsical atmosphere create an engaging experience.

Studio Tolima has created an emotionally complex and memorable story that stands out for its narrative and audiovisual direction. It lacks a bit from a gameplay perspective, serving up mechanics that either feel overused or simply don't quite draw in the player, but otherwise, for a short two-to-four hour story, Koira does enough to leave a lasting impression.

Overall, however, this is definitely a triumph for a studio that has taken some well-deserved knocks in the past, but which really shines here. Whereas Silent Hill 2 Remake was a comeback for many, it's ultimately not something Bloober has created itself. But Cronos is completely original, and there is no metaphor that adequately demonstrates how big a difference I feel there is between the two projects. Let's just say that Cronos is Bloober's masterpiece, and the proof I needed to really cheer them on going forward.

There is clear quality and potential with Nobody Wants to Die, whether it's the aesthetic and worldbuilding, the performances and mysterious narrative, even the striking and detailed visuals, however, the gameplay itself leaves much to be desired. After four hours of completing what are essentially quick-time events to use many of the tools and systems in place and following a story that may as well be on rails, you begin to lose interest.

For a short while I have fun, when for once things go well for me. If it had continued like that without me being brutally punished time and time again, I'm sure there would have been a nice and addictive little game in there somewhere.

South of Midnight is a good game - nothing more, nothing less - one that storytelling-lovers will find enjoyment from and one that fans of tight and refreshing gameplay will find a bit repetitive and flat.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a decent kart racer. The gameplay works well, you can easily do long powerslides, the many vehicles feel and sound different and the tracks are quite well designed.

Ultimately there are a lot of things about Zenless Zone Zero that I enjoy, but unfortunately a lot of my own experience stumbles because of the genre it has chosen to embrace and the playability it then tries to adapt to.

It's very easy to recommend Power Rangers Rita's Rewind. It's an incredibly loving tribute to the phenomenon and a fun game that's well worth playing through, even for those who like beat 'em ups or retro games in general but have no relation to the brand.